Slow-Cooker Cuban Pulled-Pork Panini Sandwiches

Cuban pulled pork—or lechon asado—meets traditional Cuban ham and Swiss sandwiches in these zesty, melty paninis. The pork absorbs loads of flavor while slow cooking in a garlic- and citrus-infused mojo sauce, which ultimately makes for one amazing hot sandwich. Unless you live in south Florida, Cuban bread will probably be rather difficult to come by. So use whatever type of bread tickles your fancy, and if you can’t find a loaf that measures 2 feet (61 cm) long, two smaller loaves (about 12 ounces [340 g] each) of Italian or French bread, or even individual hoagie rolls, would work beautifully instead. Just make sure to start and end your sandwich layers with Swiss, since the cheese is what ends up holding together an otherwise messy panini.

Preparation

Pierce the pork roast all over with a small knife. Place the pork in the bottom of a large slow cooker. In a medium bowl, combine the garlic, orange juice, lime juice, olive oil, oregano, cumin and House Seasoning. Pour the mixture over the pork and rub it into the meat, turning to evenly coat it. Cover the slow cooker and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours, or on high for 4 to 6 hours, until the pork is extremely tender.

Transfer the pork to a cutting board. Remove and discard the fat and use 2 forks to pull the pork into chunks. Use a large spoon to skim the fat from the surface of the liquids in the slow cooker. Return the pulled pork to the slow cooker and stir well. Taste the meat and adjust the seasoning, adding salt and pepper, if desired. Cover the slow cooker and cook on high for 15 to 30 minutes, so that the pork can further absorb the flavors of the cooking liquids while you prepare the sandwich ingredients.

To assemble the sandwich, slice the loaf of bread in half horizontally. Spread a thin layer of mustard on the bottom half of the bread and then layer 1 package of the Swiss cheese, all of the pickle slices, all of the ham slices and a generous amount of pulled pork. Top the pork with the remaining 1 package of Swiss cheese and place the other half of the bread loaf on top of the Swiss cheese.

Use a serrated knife to cut the loaf into approximately 6-inch (15-cm) lengths. Brush both sides of each sandwich with the melted butter and cook the sandwiches in a panini press or a hot skillet until the cheese melts and the exterior gets toasty. If you are cooking the sandwich in a hot skillet, cover the top of the sandwich with aluminum foil and place a heavy pot or cast iron skillet on top of the foil. Flip the sandwich once the bottom is toasted and toast the other side. Cut the sandwich into slices and serve hot.

Very easy recipe with big results. I've made this twice now for make-your-own slider sandwiches to have as finger food at a party. They are a huge hit and go very fast. I add cole slaw as a condiment on the sandwich along with pickles, mayo and mustard. The meat is tender and very flavorful. I did not at all have the issue with saltiness. (Perhaps the reviewer who had that issue used too much of the house seasoning? The house seasoning recipe makes much more than you need for the pulled pork recipe itself.)

I put this roast per recipe instructions in my slow cooker at 9 AM with high hopes for an authentic Cuban sandwich dinner complete with black bean salad. It smelled so good cooking. I flipped it every hour to make sure it was getting the benefit of all the spices used in the sauce. I served it to my family as prescribed in the recipe. The sandwiches looked awesome and then we all took a big bite...it was SO salty that none of us could even entertain eating the entire sandwich. I went so far as to rinse off the pork with cold water which did help, but the damage was done and dinner was ruined. The "house" seasoning which calls for 1/4 cup sea salt appears to be the majority of salt called for in the recipe but for some reason my 3 lb roast absorbed the salt an almost nothing else. I really wish this recipe had turned out much better because we love Cuban sandwiches but this experience has sullied our desire to eat Cuban anytime in the near future.